ExxonMobil, NBA, PanAfricare Reinstate Commitment to Power Forward Basketball League
Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja
ExxonMobil, NBA Africa and PanAfricare have reinstated their support for Power Forward, a youth development initiative that teaches health literacy and life skills such as leadership, respect and personal responsibility through basketball and other programming to positively impact Nigerian secondary school students in FCT.
The 1995 NBA All-Star and 1992 NBA slam dunk champion, Cedric Ceballos was the star attraction on the final day of the programme held at Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.
Students from 40 secondary schools made up 42 teams (30 boys’ teams and 12 girls’ teams modelled after the NBA and WNBA respectively) played 105 games in the ninth season of the Power Forward Basketball League.
The Power Forward programme was inaugurated in the FCT on November 19, 2013 with a tip-off event featuring NBA and WNBA representatives, Nigerian policymakers and other stakeholders.
Top flight NBA and WNBA players and legends who have participated in the programme to date include Naismith Basketball, Hall of Famers Hakeem Olajuwon and Swin Cash; former NBA players, Obinna Ekezie (current CEO of Wakanow), Olumide Oyedeji, Kelenna Azubuike, Pops Mensah-Bonsu, Jerome Williams and Festus Ezeli; LA Sparks’ Chiney Ogwumike and former WNBA players Evelyn Akhator, Mactabene Amachree and Astou Ndiaye.
Speaking on the 20 years association with Power Forward, ExxonMobil’s Business and Government Relations’ General Manager, Adedoyin Adelabu, said that between 2000 and 2020, the company had committed more than $170 million in grants to the malaria cause, reaching more than 125 million people throughout Africa and Asia with over 15 million bed nets, 5.6 million doses of anti-malarial drugs and more than four million rapid-diagnostic kits.
NBA Africa Vice President and Country Head of Nigeria, Gbemisola Abudu, said over 200,000 youth in the FCT had participated in Power Forward in the last nine years.
She said the programme remained special because it afforded the youth to make life changing choices.
On his part, PanAfricare Country Director for Nigeria, Dr. Patrick Adah, applauded ExxonMobil for funding the programme in the past nine years and NBA Africa for being with them over the same period.
